Throughout its 260-year history, Pittsburgh has been reborn, renewed, and recast multiple times over. Divided from eastern Pennsylvania by the Appalachian Plateau, the city, even today, feels hidden away. Regionally, Pittsburgh is seen more as the capital of Appalachia, more associated with that region and its stereotypes. Yet, pocketed just outside the physical boundaries of the Northeast, Midwest, and South, Pittsburgh is a city without a region. In long diasporic decline, the population hovers just north of 305,000 people, roughly half of its heyday, including “The Lost Generation” that departed in the post-steel era.

This elusive and ambiguous sense of identity and belonging, unsurprisingly, compels much local soul-searching.

In his 2009 book The Paris of Appalachia, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalist Brian O’Neill writes of his hometown: “This city is not Midwestern. It’s not East Coast. It’s just Pittsburgh, and there’s no place like it. That’s both its blessing and its curse.”

For artists past and present, it is very much the former. Amid the introspection, Pittsburgh’s creative class is at the forefront of resuscitation, revival, and returning beauty to blight. Generating heartbeats in every corner of the city and its suburban fringes, art in many forms contributes much to the Pittsburgh’s identity and soul.

Take Barebones Productions for example. Led by artistic director Patrick Jordan, this critically acclaimed theater group is renowned for its edgy original productions and reinvented classics.The group is presently finishing construction on its new dedicated performance space, the 70-seat Barebones Black Box. Especially noteworthy is its location—the recovering former steel town of Braddock, ten miles east of Pittsburgh. Housed in the former site of one of the first indoor Chevrolet dealerships in the US, the venue shares space with Superior Motors, a long-anticipated restaurant from star local chef Kevin Sousa.

Carnegie Museum of Art, Hall of Sculpture credit Jeff Heilman

Passing through Braddock in 2012 while on another assignment, my hostsatthetimementionedChefSousa’sintentionstoset-upshop.That seemed brave and ambitious for the visibly impoverished borough, but he was not alone, as another pioneer, Mayor John Fetterman, was already leading an arts-driven revitalization. As Pittsburgh Magazine noted in its 2013 “Braddock Rising” feature, the York, PA native, who moved to Braddock in 2001, had attracted national media attention (New York Times, Rolling Stone, and others) … “for his outspoken belief that art, artists, and unconventional ideas can revive a town.”

Now running for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, Fetterman’s many contributions include helping to arrange financing for Superior Motors. Combined with the theater, adjacent courtyard and neighboring UnSmoke art gallery, this community-driven hub exemplifies new heartbeats through art.

Another example is the Carrie Blast Furnaces in nearby Rankin, where retired iron workers lead seasonal guided tours of their National Historic Landmark plant. Along with the massive blast furnaces and infrastructure, attractions include the Carrie Deer, a 40-foot sculptural deer head created 20 years ago as a monument to the site by trespassing artists using metal pipes, tubing, and other scrap material.

In downtown Pittsburgh, Bricolage Production Company, aptly named for “making artful use of what is at hand,” aims to “immerse artists and audiences in adventurous theatrical experiences that foster connections and alter perceptions.”

Art and culture pervade Pittsburgh, tempting the perspective of the entire city as one giant creative studio.

The urban infrastructure alone is epic. What nature created—a beguiling topography of escarpments, slopes, and hollows—architects, engineers, and builders conquered, artfully hewing 90 neighborhoods into this mountain-hemmed three-dimensional framework, interconnected by a madcap weave of roads, bridges, and tunnels.

Nervous drivers, especially in winter, may want to discover Pittsburgh via Uber, Lyft, or the historic Yellow Cab of Pittsburgh, now zTrip. But to delve fully into this urban maze, a sturdy compact car with well-muscled brakes and reliable GPS is your all-access ticket.

Vying with San Francisco and Seattle for America’s hilliest city, Pittsburgh’s vertiginous streets include the nation’s steepest, Canton Avenue, with a 37 percent gradient. In neighborhoods like Polish Hill, homes and businesses edge down near vertical inclines. Seated at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Pittsburgh has more bridges (446) than its area code (412), and at least three more water crossings than Venice. Multi-lane convergences and switchovers make it easy to get lost. Pittsburgh is also one big amusement park-like ride.

Wonder moments include the Shangri-La approach from the southwest. Instead of that mythic valley’s waterfall, Mount Washington obscures the city from view. Disappearing into the rock face via the Fort Pitt Tunnels, you then emerge in full view of Pittsburgh’s skyscraper-forested “Golden Triangle.” The New York Times called it “the best way to enter an American city.” The cinematic effects unfolds as you then cross the Monongahela River via the Fort Pitt Bridge, painted, like many of its siblings, in Aztec Gold, and enter downtown. Hollywood thinks so too, choosing Pittsburgh for recent movies including The Perks of Beinga Wallflower, The Dark Knight Rises, Out of the Furnace, and American Pastoral.

Within this construct, artists of all stripes have found ample room to spread their creative wings here. Native headliners include Andy Warhol, Mary Cassatt, Martha Graham, August Wilson, Gene Kelly, Christina Aguilera, and Billy Porter of Kinky Boots fame. Countless others, locals and transplants alike, have flourished in Pittsburgh’s milieu.

The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh by Abby Warhola

Richard Parsakian is a classic example. Architecture degree in hand, the Upstate New York native arrived here in 1971 as a VISTA volunteer with the Pittsburgh Architect’s Workshop, providing free design services to lowincome families and non-profits. He never left.

“The artistic vibe was strong,” recalls Parsakian. “It came from the landscape, the environment, the people. My instinct said stay.”

Today, many of those same people he met in 1971 are the leaders of Pittsburgh’s artistic and cultural community, heading up arts organizations, dance companies, theaters, and more. Parsakian himself is at the head of the class, tirelessly supporting the city’s arts, social causes, and Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ community.

In 1972, the year before Pittsburgh’s inaugural Pride march, Parsakian co-published the city’s first LGBT newspaper, The Gay Times. Long involved with PrideFest, he owns a 30by 60-foot rainbow flag. Sewn together by an artist friend from two 30by 30-foot sections, the flag, carried by up to 30 people, has appeared at every Pride March and significant political event over the past 25-plus years. Money thrown into the flag goes to LGBT charitable organizations; count advocacy and fund-raising among his primary contributions, including for women’s reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS care.

Serving on multiple boards, including the Pittsburgh Dance Council, Planned Parenthood, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, and the Mayor’s LGBTQIA+Advisory Council of Pittsburgh, Parsakian’s most visible contributions hail from his passion for costume and event design.

In 1986, after buying and selling vintage clothing and accessories from his apartment, he opened Eons Fashion Antique. One of Yahoo Style’s top 25 vintage stores in the nation, his celeb-magnet boutique has served as a veritable wardrobe department for numerous film, television, theater, and dance projects. Located in Shadyside, one of Pittsburgh’s more gay-centric neighborhoods, Eons also supplies Parsakian’s many fashion-driven benefits, fundraisers, and other charitable endeavors.

As art goes, so goes LGBT life, and in Pittsburgh, that’s been especially true of the drag culture. “In terms of acceptance and getting the LGBT voice out more in public, promoting drag has created a significant step forward for the community,” says Parsakian, whose forefront efforts include mentoring drag queens and creating the popular Divas of Drag event at the annual Ellsworth Avenue Music, Dance, & Arts Showcase. “Several years ago, a gay friend in the arts got the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, which redeveloped downtown’s former red-light area into the Cultural District, to host a drag competition at one of its mainstream theaters. That was a first, and huge step ahead. After Pittsburgh’s Sharon Needles won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012, drag performers were not only in vogue, but in demand, for premiere fundraisers and other events.”

Revered for its weekly sell-out drag shows, Blue Moon, in the East End’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, is Pittsburgh’s drag mother ship.

Ms. Needles is among many queens who launched here, collaborating with Alaska Thunderfuck (winner of RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race in 2016) and veteran local queen Cherri Baum on the venue’s legendary Haus of Haunt show. Other Blue Moon notables include Dixie Sherwood, Bambi Deerest, Amoxie Villain, and Artemis LaCreme.

Blue Moon sits by Allegheny Cemetery, an exceptional rural cemetery from 1844 filled with artful tombs and monuments, including a literal family tree. It also sits in the 16:62 Design Zone, a distinctive 56-block area featuring unique home furnishings, antiques, and objects d’art. Notable galleries include Paul Michael Bierker, whose original jewelry pieces are inspired by science fiction, fantasy, and gaming.

The spirit of collaboration vitally sustains the overall scene. “These days, you can’t go it alone,” said Parkasian. “Thankfully, artistic and cultural organizations are very open-minded here, with Pittsburgh’s many community allies thirsty to collaborate.”

Randyland Visitor Selfie with Randy credit Jeff Heilman

The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood is one prime example. From the ancient to the contemporary, the absorbing galleries in industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s grand 1895 vision include the Hall of Architecture, featuring one of the world’s largest collections of plaster casts of architectural masterpieces. Located in the national landmark Carnegie Institute and Library complex, the museum is one of four in the Carnegie collection. Another, in the same complex, is the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, featuring a globally preeminent dinosaur collection.

Born in nearby South Oakland, Andy Warhol studied at the museums and Carnegie Mellon University. His namesake museum, on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, is the third. Overlooking the Ohio River, the nearby Carnegie Science Center completes the quartet.

“The Andy Warhol Museum is another event partner, complete with a billion-dollar collection,” says Parsakian, whose fashion shows and fundraisers there included one for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. Calling the museum “a gay mecca,” he praises former Executive Director Tom Sokolowski for “opening up the Warhol to be more than a place of discussion.” Or, as the Pittsburgh City Paper noted after Sokolowski’s departure in 2010, a venue “whose exhibits, parties, performances, and screenings regularly drew a cross-section of Pittsburgh’s artiest, wackiest, most fabulous, and culturally curious people.”

]]>Elijah Bradshaw W New Orleans – French Quarterhttps://passportmagazine.com/elijah-bradshaw-w-new-orleans-french-quarter/
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 00:05:31 +0000https://passportmagazine.com/?p=8636If ever there were a time to eat, drink, and be merry in New Orleans, it’s now. The city celebrates its tricentennial in 2018 and has landed on numerous lists…

]]>If ever there were a time to eat, drink, and be merry in New Orleans, it’s now. The city celebrates its tricentennial in 2018 and has landed on numerous lists as a must-visit destination for its rich history and culinary impact. A trip to the Crescent City should include a bit of planning, as some of the hottest dining destinations are booked far in advance, while others are often only discovered by word of mouth.

Fortunately, Elijah Bradshaw has a lay of the land and a taste for all things New Orleans. He joined the W New Orleans-French Quarter (316 Chartres St., Tel: 504-581-1200. www.wfrenchquarter.com) in 2012 as a front desk agent and was quickly promoted to his current position as the property’s W Insider.

While Southern Decadence reigns supreme as the city’s LGBTQ bacchanalian celebration each Labor Day weekend, Bradshaw’s recommendations ensure that decadence can be discovered in New Orleans any time of year.

New Orleans has received many accolades as one of the country’s best food cities. Do you have a ‘must eat and drink’ list for firsttime visitors?
My favorite spot for a po’boy is at Parkway Bakery and Tavern (538 Hagan Ave., Tel: 504-482-3047. www.parkwaypoorboys.com). My go-to is their home-cooked hot roast beef poor boy with gravy. You’ll need plenty of napkins! I also send first-timers to Brennan’s (417 Royal St., Tel: 504-525-9711. www.brennansneworleans.com for bananas Foster. Café Du Monde (multiple locations, www.cafedumonde.com) is famous for beignets, while Willie’s Mae’s Scotch House (2401 St. Ann St., Tel: 504-8229503. www.williemaesnola.com), located in the 6th Ward, is known for its fried chicken. Cochon (930 Tchoupitoulas St. b, Tel: 504-5882123. www.cochonrestaurant.com) is excellent for classic Cajun cuisine in a casual, rustic setting where you can find its namesake pork dish served with cabbage, cracklins, and pickled turnips.

New Orleans Cooking School

Before a visitor ventures out to explore the city, what are some of your favorite inhouse culinary and beverage offerings?SoBou (www.sobounola.com), which means South of Bourbon, is a member of the Commander’s Palace Family of Restaurants. Our Executive Chef Carlos Gonzales is from Puerto Rico, and he does a fantastic job of combining those flavors with the rich culinary culture of New Orleans to create some fantastic dishes. Guest should definitely try the shrimp and tasso pinchos, yellowfin tuna cones, and the blackened geaux fish. My favorite cocktail on the menu is the Sunset in the Courtyard that combines reposado tequila, blood orange liqueur, citrus, housemade pomegranate syrup, and your own SoBou sunglasses! I also love their take on the classic milk punch named the Honey Buzz Milk Punch. It’s Honey Nut Cheerios–infused rum, honey syrup, holiday pie bitters, and milk.

New Orleans is known for beignets and chicory. Where are some of your favorite spots to enjoy these NOLA standards?Café Du Monde is the place to go for that, but if you want to avoid the long lines head to Café Beignet (www.cafebeignet.com). They have a few locations in the French Quarter. For the more adventurous traveler, I would head to local favorite Katie’s (3701 Iberville St., Tel: 504-488-6582. www.katiesinmidcity.com) in Mid-City for its crawfish beignets and chicory coffee.

For those with AFDD (attention food deficit disorder), can you recommend culinary and/or cocktail walking tours to get a broader taste of New Orleans?Doctor Gumbo (Tel: 504-473-4823. www.doctorgumbo.com) does a fantastic job with cocktail and food history tours. You get to sample nine classic dishes or four classic cocktails in the French Quarter and learn about the history behind them. By the end, you will be able to tell the difference between Creole and Cajun food.

Every vacation should have at least one decadent throw-down meal where the drinks and courses flow free. What are your favorite spots for such an occasion and do they have any must-try signature dishes?
My friends and I love to get dressed up and go out for a decadent dinner in New Orleans. Make sure to get the large seafood platter and crawfish bisque at Luke New Orleans (333 St. Charles Ave., Tel: 504-378-2840. www.lukeneworleans.com). Head to Restaurant R’evolution (777 Bienville St., Tel: 504-553-2277. www.revolutionnola.com) for Death by Gumbo and triptych of quail (Southern fried, boudin stuffed, and absinthe glazed). Coquette (2800 Magazine St., Tel: 504-265-0421. www.coquettenola.com) is my favorite restaurant in the city. Located in the charming Garden District, it’s a great spot to dine with a small group of friends or with your significant other. Chef/owners Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus have created something extraordinary with their seasonal menu, but I love doing their ‘Put yourself in our hands’ five-course blind tasting. They also host an all-you-can-eatand-drink fried chicken and Champagne dinner once a year.

Luke Restaurant

New Orleans is known for its Creole and Cajun cuisine, but it also boasts other noteworthy global culinary influences. Where do you send visitors who want to mix up their menu planning?Lilly’s Café (1813 Magazine St., Tel: 504599-9999. www.facebook.com/lillyscafe) is one of my favorite Vietnamese spots. Red’s Chinese (3048 St. Claude Ave., Tel: 504-304-6030. www.redschinese.com) is also fantastic, try the craw rangoons and kung pao pastrami. For your meat fix, head to La Boca (870 Tchoupitoulas St., Tel: 504525-8205. www.labocasteaks.com), a favorite Argentinian steakhouse.

So many cocktails, so little time! Give us the rundown of where a visitor should go if one’s looking for the following:A classic New Orleans cocktail in an elegant setting?The Carousel Bar (214 Royal St., Tel: 504-5233341 www.hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar) in the Hotel Monteleone has been spinning patrons for nearly 70 years and is the spot for a Sazerac (rye whiskey, Peychaud’s Bitters, and Herbsaint).

LGBTQ establishment that pours a stiff drink?The Golden Lantern Bar (1239 Royal St., Tel: 504-529-2860. www.facebook.com/goldenlanternbar) has been a New Orleans institution since 1964. In addition to the no-nonsense drinks, there’s usually a drag show happening.

Which LGBTQ chefs should we know about?
John Bel is the executive chef at neighborhood favorite Meauxbar (942 N. Rampart St., Tel: 504-569-9979. www.meauxbar.com) and focuses on sourcing local, seasonal ingredients to create dishes that are refined and a joy to experience. It’s also a beautiful locale, just steps away from the newly opened Rampart-St. Claude streetcar line and Louis Armstrong Park.

For those that want to get hands-on, where would you recommend taking a cooking course and what might a participant expect to experience?The New Orleans School of Cooking (524 St. Louis St., Tel: 504-525-2665. www.neworleansschoolofcooking.com) offers both participatory cooking classes as well as demonstration-only, but you’ll definitely want to get your hands dirty. A maximum of ten people, divided into smaller groups to tackle each course, prepare an authentic New Orleans meal. The last time I attended we made bananas Foster Crêpes and, yes, they came out perfectly!

Beignets & Coffee

Taking a brief break from eating and drinking, NOLA is also packed with cultural and historical activities. What are some of your favorites?The National WWII Museum (945 Magazine St., Tel: 504-528-1944. www.nationalww2museum.org) is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon and is ranked New Orleans’ number-one attraction. In addition to its permanent exhibits, “So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope” is on display through February 10, 2019.

The French Quarter has a long and rich history of LGBTQ people and culture. Frank Perez does a private Gay New Orleans Walking Tour (www.tourguides.viator.com/tourguide-frank-perez-89460.aspx) that explores the places and stories that helped make New Orleans as fabulous as it is today. And for travelers who might be overwhelmed by the Mardi Gras spectacle, I send them to the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes & Culture (1010 Conti St., Tel: 504-218-4872. www.themardigrasmuseum.com). You’ll find costumes from Carnival Royalty to Mardi Gras Indian and Gay Carnival Krewes. Make sure to stop at the costume closet to dress up in authentic Mardi Gras garb and take Insta-worthy pictures.

For a final gay flourish, where do you send guests who want to experience New Orleans’ queer nightlife and what might they expect when they get there?
The corner of Bourbon and St. Ann turns into a bit of a street party at night. That intersection has two of the best clubs in the French Quarter: Bourbon Pub/Parade (801 Bourbon St., Tel: 504-529-2107. www.bourbonpub.com) and Oz (800 Bourbon St., Tel: 504-593-9491. www.ozneworleans.com). On any given night, you will witness anything from drag shows to underwear contests. If a low-key bar vibe is your preference, then head a few blocks away to Good Friends Bar (740 Dauphine St., Tel: 504-566-7191. www.goodfriendsbar.com) and 700 Club (700 Burgundy St. www.700nola.com).

What should any visitor make sure is tucked away in his luggage to bring a taste of New Orleans home?
The ultimate New Orleans takeaway is a box of fresh-baked pralines from Southern Candymakers (multiple locations, www.southerncandymakers.com).

With wineries across North America, surely, I thought, I can find some undiscovered wine regions producing great vintages, boasting wonderful scenery, and filled with activities to keep you busy between tastings. I found three great ones.

Living in California’s wine country, I know how the combination of food, wine, and beautiful countryside make for a winning tourist destination. Wine-driven tourism rules from Argentina to Australia, from such classic destinations as Champagne and Bordeaux to New World meccas like Russian River Valley and Napa Valley. These are some of the best known, but what about the less familiar? With wineries across North America, surely, I thought, I can find some undiscovered wine regions producing great vintages, boasting wonderful scenery, and filled with activities to keep you busy between tastings. I found three great ones.

NIAGARA PENINSULA, ONTARIO CANADA

My first trip is to the Niagara Peninsula, a friendly, pretty region between Lakes Ontario and Erie, that produces notable ice wines and other fine wines. Of course, everyone knows Niagara Falls, and those in the know have heard of the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake. How many people, though, are aware that there’s actually a wonderful wine-producing region that stretches some 690 square miles. This wine-growing area is sheltered by the Niagara Escarpment, a long outcropping that shields the area from the worst of Canada’s winters, creating a microclimate that’s perfect for grape growing, particularly such hardy varieties as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Vidal.

While it’s at the approximate latitude of Northern California, there’s one difference: Canadian winters. While the region avoids the harshest of it, it’s still a factor. How else would they produce their most famous product? This is, of course, ice wine, a sweet wine that’s made by letting the grapes stay on the vine till they freeze (technically, at three consecutive days of 17 degrees or lower), concentrating the sugars and producing a velvety, intoxicating dessert wine. So popular is this unique wine that each winter sees two weekends devoted to the Ice Wine Festival, a tremendously fun event where you can sample the product from various vineyards and enjoy small bites of food from local restaurants.

If you’re heading here from Toronto, it’s best to drive (about two hours) or book a private or group tour with a company like Niagara Airbus, one of the best in the region for creative and well-run excursions.

Niagra Falls

There are two main winery regions, those around the fun little tourist town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and The Bench, an area in the southwest part of the peninsula, perched up on the escarpment and a little cooler than the rest of the region.

On the edge of Niagara-on-the-Lake, you can’t go wrong staying at Shaw Club Hotel. It’s short walk to the village, and just far enough away to ensure blessed quiet in its spacious and well-appointed rooms. I could relax all day here, but I need to sample some ice wine.

At Reif Estate, I sit in the “sensory bar” and have a feast of Icewine, from a young Reisling paired with sausage/chicken pate, through blue cheese with a powerful 2002 Vidal. I pick up their 2015 Vidal ice wine, which won the “best dessert wine” prize at the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

From there it’s on to Peller Estates, where the grand living roomlike lobby is your entrance to a world of experiences. Want to learn to smoke your own cheese or infuse it with ice wine? Analyze the sugar content like a pro? The must-do here is the 10Below Ice Wine Lounge, a tasting room that’s -10 degrees Celsius year-round (the temperature at which ice wine grapes are picked). Don’t worry, they give you parkas!

At Château des Charmes, you can experience everything from a gourmet picnic to “Popping the Bubbles,” three sparkling wines paired with popcorn. Their unoaked Aligoté (a lesser-known white grape from Burgundy) is a crisp, fresh revelation, while their flagship wine Equuleus, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, is only made in years when all three varietals are primo, resulting in a bold, earthy robustness.

Need some great food to go with that wine? Ravine Vineyard, in the tiny community of St. David’s, about 15 minutes from Niagara-on-theLake, is organically certified, with fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, and even their own honeybees. Their luscious wines like Cabernet Franc, Reisling, and Chardonnay pair perfectly with cuisine so fresh you understand why a sign “Welcome to the Farm” greets you outside the restaurant. (Salmon and crab grits, anyone?) They also do their own charcuterie, so you can construct a perfect picnic to savor on the grounds.

At Two Sisters Vineyards, the most upscale winery I’ve seen in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area, sit can on the stately patio overlooking the vineyards while you enjoy savory little arancini or luscious burrata, followed by wood-fired pizza or tender little gnocchi. Their unoaked Chardonnay is totally without “bite,” creamy, fruity, and crisp, made with grapes from the oldest Chardonnay vines in Canada. It will, in a word, change the way you think about Chardonnay. For Merlot lovers, here it is silky and rich, making you cast aside whatever cinematicallyinspired prejudices you had about this grape.

Heading over to the Niagara Escarpment (informally called “The Bench” and about 40 minutes west of Niagara-on-the-Lake), I start my day with a lovely brunch at The Good Earth Food and Wine Company. Their main attraction is the cooking school, which was the original intent when founded 20 years ago (the winery part is now in its eighth year). Take a seat on the patio, overlooking the vineyards, a glass of their 2016 Pinot Grigio in hand, and enjoy smoked trout livened with thin slices of pickled onions, or a rich mushroom soup with a surprising dollop of blue cheese.

Fully satisfied, I hop back on the road, riding past signs for strawberries, rhubarb, and honey, and rows of vines planted up slopes, to arrive at estimable Malivoire Wineries, where true devotees can enroll in one of their seminars to learn about everything from pruning grapevines to mixing and blending wines. Me? I just taste, starting with a nice sparkling wine (“all that wonderful acidity makes a great sparkling wine,” notes award-winning winemaker Shiraz Mottiar) and continue through fruity Lady Bug (Malivoire’s best-seller) to Vivant rosé, which I like even better, as to me it has more richness and depth. “Lady Bug is our most popular, but Vivant is the younger sister everyone’s looking at now,” smiles Mottiar.

Ice Wine tasting at Reif Estate

Next stop: Flat Rock Cellars, near the village of Jordan (note: If you want to stay out on the Escarpment, nearby Inn on the Twenty is the lodging of choice). Here, the first thing you notice is Flat Rock’s view past vineyards to Lake Ontario and Toronto in the distance, really driving home how close to the metropolis we are, which you can forget in this stunningly rural area.

Like many places in this relatively new industry, it was built with an eye toward tourism, and their various tours are an integral part of the experience. Of course I hit the tasting room, where their 2016 Nadja’s Vineyard wins me over: this Riesling is much sweeter than I usually choose, but is so smooth, mellow, and drinkable that it could easily become my go-to wine!

Another favorite winery in The Bench: 13th Street Winery, where the gorgeous wines (I love their fresh, clean, unoaked Gamay, and their 13 Below Zero Riesling, which combines ice wine with “regular” Riesling for a crisp and not quite as sweet delight) are just the beginning. They also offer food pairings and boast an admirable sculpture garden through which you can wander, glass in hand. Not to mention an amazing bakery where prize-winning Ontario butter tarts and other sweet treats are concocted. Wine, art, and sweets: can you think of a better trio?

Before I end my Canadian visit, let me assure you that I do visit Niagara Falls: how can I not? It’s only a half hour pretty drive from Niagara-on-the-Lake, and there’s a reason it’s so popular: it’s amazing. For a great experience, do the Journey Behind the Falls, that takes you down a long tunnel underneath the falls, with viewing platforms to get a view of the thunderous waters from below. For me, though, it’s but one attraction of this amazing region where the landscape veers between pleasing and spectacular, the wines are lovely, and the people are super-friendly. These are people who live close to the earth, and love where they live and what they do. It shows in everything they do, from the beautiful fresh food of the region to their stunning wines.

As winemaker Shiraz Mottiar states: “Why come here? Most of all, for the surprise.”

Eric Gottlund, a gay bar pianist and narrator of Now, I’m Here (Beautiful Dreamer Press, $17.95. www.jimprovenzano.com), the achingly tender new novel by Lambda Literary Award–winner Jim Provenzano, describes Columbus, Ohio as “a city where every September farm boys in the form of college freshmen come to give away their beauty. We grow homosexuals here.” Thirty years beyond his own rural youth, Eric observes the latest crop, full of rue and reminiscence: “When all the cute boys have moved on to the nearby dance club…T-shirts soon to cling to their lithe forms with the sweat of their dancing, they leave the fat lounge singer with his tip jar. Oh, don’t flatter me; I know I’m big as a house. It’s my protection for a broken heart.” There’s a stately elegance to Provenzano’s prose: rich, distinctly literary locutions that evoke novels of the early 1990s in which the likes of Edmund White, Alan Barnett, and Andrew Holleran spun a golden floss of words that exalted even the most quotidian details of gay men’s lives. The effect then, and in Now You’re Here, was to confer dignity, value, and preciousness upon people who were overlooked or disdained by most of American society. The urban tribes chronicled in that earlier era’s most acclaimed gay novels have both evolved and staked a permanent claim in the national imagination. But Provenzano reminds us of a swath of gay men and boys who remain largely overlooked; the small town, Midwestern gays whose psyches, like their turf, have been regarded as flyover country. As Provenzano traces the friendship and falling outs between Eric and his two closest friends through the 1970s and 1980s, we hear untold tales of sexual awakening among the decidedly un-“woke,” we see the long- nailed finger of HIV/AIDS scratching far beyond big cities, and we are reminded how limited our sense of “gay community” can sometimes be.

Whether you’re single or live with a partner or family, one of the greatest opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth is to take a trip on one’s own. For many people though, it’s also one of the most intimidating and nervewracking experiences imaginable. Two new books provide inspiration, encouragement and practical guidance. The Solo Travel Handbook (Lonely Planet, $17.99. www.lonelyplanet.com) begins by asking “What’s stopping you?” and addressing some of the most common travel-solophobias, from introversion to safety concerns to guilt at leaving loved ones behind.

Then come tips on meeting people, how to use social media to your advantage (without constricting your experience of the world to a portable screen), some suggested solo itineraries, and selection of inspiring first-person accounts of trips taken solo. In Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities and the Pleasures of Solitude (Viking, $27. www.stephanierosenbloom.com), New York Times travel writer Stephanie Rosenbloom savors opportunities for musing, reflection, and setting her own pace as she spends stretches of unscheduled days in Paris, Florence, Istanbul, and, finally, her hometown of New York. The latter section is particularly interesting: Rosenbloom gives herself weekly non-journalism “assignments” that encourage personal exploration and discovery in her own backyard. It’s a reminder that solo travel involves journeys in the mind as well as on the map.

For a thrilling armchair trip you’d never want to experience in person, crack open Paul French’s brass-knuckled City of Devils (Picador, $28. www.chinarhyming.com), a true-crime story that plunges readers into 1930’s Shanghai, where two unlikely partners Jack Riley, an Irish-American Navy vet, and Joe Farre, an Austrian-born Jew, are overlords of a nightlife scene awash in gambling, drugs, prostitution, and international intrigue. The history of Shanghai, one of the world’s great global cities today, is little known to most American readers; and it’s hard to imagine a more vivid immersion in a period of that past than this dark- ly remarkable page-turner.

Among the world’s most pernicious gay-related myths, up there with homosexuality being a choice, sexual positions being the same as
gender roles, and gay men being pedophiles, is the notion of a sole individual somehow personally responsible for the introduction of the HIV virus to North America. In Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic (University of Chicago Press, $35. www.press.uchicago.edu), London-based scholar Richard A. McKay not only dismantles this atomic bomb of fake news, but explores the way it distorted and distracted from rational approaches to the spread of the virus. Surprisingly readable for a book of such cool, acute analysis, its most eye-opening sections include an empathetic look at the life and personal perspectives of Gaetan Dugas, the French-Canadian flight attendant who was vilified and villainized as Patient Zero in the popular press. McKay also provides a disturbing psychological portrait of Randy Shilts, the ambitious gay journalist and author of And The Band Played On, the book that made Dugas and the Patient Zero myth (even though later debunked) an indelible part of our cultural history: Shilts “was an exceedingly driven reporter, one who had worked very hard to overcome insecurities relating to his looks, his talents, and his addictions…desperate to write an important book, not only to secure the fame he had long craved, but also to help protect the gay community…in this state of mind, he…decided that [Dugas] was a sociopath and to blame for much of the epidemic.” While Shilts’ book did prove to be an important one, it also created the need for this powerful corrective.

AIRPLANE READ OF THE MONTH

It’s a delight to discover a comic voice that’s relatively unknown on the national stand-up scene that feels utterly at home between covers. The facts that Guy Branum is also gay, struggles with his weight, and grew up in a remote rural town, makes his new memoir-in-essays My Life As A Goddess (Atria, $26. www.guybranum.com) all the more welcome. “I am not supposed to be a god- dess,” he writes. “I am very fat. I am bald. I have a faggy voice. My family is poor. My parents are uneducated. I dress like a wet three-year-old…my parallel parking is amateurish…” What Branum does have is smarts, nerve, and a generosity of spirit; his book delivers uplift as well as snort-laughs. Branum will make wonderful company on many a late summer vacation with his wry, insightful ruminations on body shaming, Pride parties, life in Hollywood, and the need to recognize one’s assets and limitations.

Here, we introduce you to six incredible Portland tastemakers, from outstanding pastry gurus and vegan chefs to a distiller who makes spirits from kombucha.

If we learned anything from eight seasons of Portlandia, Portland, Oregon is one of the country’s meccas for progressives, hipsters, artisans, and foodies. In fact, the culinary scene is not only supreme, with high standards for local sourcing, provenance of Pacific Northwest ingredients, and a housemade ethos, but it’s also one where LGBT chefs and restaurateurs shine. Their presence and success continues to grow: James Beard Award semifinalist and 2015 Top Chef contestant, Gregory Gourdet, is one of the city’s most beloved chef rock stars and he heads up buzzing pan-Asian restaurant Departure (525 SW Morrison St. Tel: 503-802-5370. www.departureportland.com) at The Nines hotel. Here, we introduce you to six incredible Portland tastemakers, from outstanding pastry gurus and vegan chefs to a distiller who makes spirits from kombucha. “If you’re coming to Portland for food, be sure to time your visit for the Feast Portland festival in mid September,” adds Tim Healea of bakery Little T. “It’s a four-day event that features both local and national talent, and it’s the best way to sample everything the Portland scene has to offer. Also, the weather is always fantastic in September.”

Sarah Schafer, Chef, Irving Street Kitchen

Born in Buffalo and raised in Boston, Schafer garnered experience at NYC’s Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern, as well as San Francisco’s Frisson and Anchor and Hope. She moved to Portland in 2010 and opened Irving Street Kitchen in the Pearl District, fusing East and West Coast American cuisine. (701 NW 13th St. Tel: 503-343-9440. www.irvingstreetkitchen.com)

Sarah Schafer, Chef, Irving Street Kitchen

What is one of your proudest signature creations at Irving Street Kitchen?
The Irving Street gravlax. It begins with the cleanest farm-raised salmon from the pristine tidal coastal waters of Skuna Bay, B.C. When the fish is harvested, cleaned, and packed on ice it’s sealed and signed by that person, sent directly to me, and I’m the only one who’s supposed to open it. What a provenance! Then we season, zest and herb it up for three days with a couple of secret ingredients, and it is divine. People have threatened me if I ever take it off the menu. We’re also bombarded by loyal devotees of our butterscotch pudding, laced with Scotch and topped with caramel.

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBT culinary folks?
I think it’s a great city for whatever your job or dream and preference of lifestyle. It’s cool to be weird here.

What are some of your favorite Portland-made food products and/or spirits?
Walter Collective Gin. I love gin, but not overly dry or pine-driven. I like Walter Collective mostly because of its fresh citrus and being just dry enough.

How about favorite local spots to eat?Bhuna Kitchen (www.facebook.com/bhunarestaurant), a pop-up. My friend Deepak brings a modern, beautiful bright quality to his Indian bowls and salads. The eggplant and tomato dish was the most memorable thing I’ve had in awhile. Duck House (1968 SW 5th Ave. Tel: 971-801-8888. www.facebook.com/duckhousepdx), just the best Chinese in town. And Handsome Pizza (1603 NW Killingsworth St. Tel: 503-247-7499. www.handsomepizza.com). Thin and wood fired the way it’s meant to be.

Which Portland foodie Instagram and social media do you follow and recommend?@Pechluck. Her blog is interesting and authentic. Kelly Cox’s @OriginalFare. She’s a trendsetter who looks out for the little guy and wants to create positive change.

You were the first female sous chef at Gramercy Tavern, and Julia Child personally thanked you after she ate there. Thinking ahead, which celebrity would you most love to see come in or enjoying your food?
Charlize Theron is a crush I’ve always had, but seriously I would most love to have Danny Meyer in. I worked for him for so many years, I’d love for him to see what I’ve built.

Tim Healea, Pastry Chef, Little T

Born in nearby Longview, Washington, Healea moved to Portland in 1998 and a decade later opened bakery Little T (2600 SE Division St. Tel: 503238-3458. www.littletbaker.com), his nickname while an intern and head baker at Pearl Bakery.

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBT chefs?
You can be yourself and feel like you fit in. When I first moved here 20 years ago, there was definitely more of a small-town feel. Especially in the past five years or so, the LGBT community has grown and become more diverse, along with the city and the culinary scene. There’s something here for every taste.

Timothy Healea, Little T

What are a few of your proudest signature creations?
The Little T baguette is still the best thing we make. It’s just four ingredients, but the dough is cold-fermented for 20 hours and it develops a wonderful, rich flavor that’s really unique. Also our croissant is killer. It’s doing the basic things really well that makes me the most proud.

What are some of your favorite locally produced, Portland-made food products?
I grill a lot in the summer, and we always have these sauces on the table: Nong’s Khao Man Gai Sauce, Marshall’s Habanero Carrot Curry Haute Sauce, and Podnah’s Pit BBQ sauce. On the sweet side, Woodblock Chocolate is totally amazing.

Which Portland foodie Instagram and social media accounts do you follow and recommend?
My friend Kristen Murray of Maurice, @miette1965, because her food is just so gorgeous, and Sarah Minnick from Lovely, @sarahminnick_, because she’s so inspiring and sassy.

Which celebrity would you most love to see come in and enjoy your food?
I would die if Kylie Minogue walked in. Or k.d. lang. Lang has a condo just over the Willamette River in NW Portland, but I have a feeling she doesn’t eat wheat.

Cyrus Ichiza, Chef, Ichiza Kitchen

Born in San Agana, Guam, Ichiza settled in Portland three years ago and in 2017 opened and runs his vegan pan-Asian restaurant and teahouse with his boyfriend of six years, Ryan Wythe. (1628 SW Jefferson St. Tel: 503-7028374. www.ichizakitchen.com)

What’s the philosophy and inspiration behind Ichiza Kitchen and what are a few of your proudest signature creations?
Some of the inspiration for the restaurant was my longing to experience ShojinRyori, or temple/shrine food, which is served in the dining halls of shrines and served teishoku-style, and it’s the same food that the monks eat. Another facet of the Ichiza Kitchen experience is that we curate a pan-Asian menu and usually run specials featuring southeast Asian/Pacific Island regional dishes that just weren’t available in vegan form before. My chicken adobo, traditional stewed chicken cuts with onions, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce, is made with a nonGMO fermented soy protein with the texture of the most tender chicken breast.

Cyrus Ichiza, Ichiza Kitchen

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBTQ culinary folks?
Portland’s culture really values inclusivity and solidarity with all those involved in the cultivation and production of food. This is really important as a vegan chef, because I’m trying to encourage folks to be open to plant-based proteins and meat alternatives whose impact is broadly related to reducing climate change and other forms of environmental degradation. A lot of LGBTQ folks have always been at the forefront of fighting against climate change, as they have historically been at the forefront of many social-environmental justice movements.

What are a few of your favorite restaurants, food pods, and chefs?Nudi House Noodle Place (4310 SE Woodstock. Tel: 503-477-7425. www.nudipdx.com) is a restaurant that occasionally features chefs from Thailand. Their plating is so lovely with ambience to match. I also never miss a chance to indulge in a French dip and fries from Black Water (835 NE Broadway St. Tel: 503-281-0439. www.facebook.com/black-water-1576782595871962). I’m excited to try Paiche (4237 SW Corbett Ave. Tel: 503-403-6186. www.paichepdx.com), a Peruvian restaurant whose owners/chef, since becoming vegan, changed their menu to plant-based recipes.

What are a few dos and don’ts for aspiring LGBTQ chefs?
Don’t perpetuate toxic or misogynistic kitchen environments! The best way to move your sexist aggro co-worker out of your face is with an official e-mail or memo to your supervisor, so there’s documentation. Listen to your instincts and build solidarity with other co-workers. Healthy work environments naturally allow better communication and efficiency, and it definitely boosts morale if everyone’s baseline is looking out for each other. Also, do your research and study what you’re cooking. What is the dish’s origins? What forms does it take around the world?

Which Portland foodie social media accounts do you follow and recommend?@racistsandwich is a podcast/blog about the intersection of food and race/gender/class and has turned the heads of the culinary minded in Portland toward the amazing chefs of color and food injustices, while moderating ongoing conversations about cultural appropriation. @ffgrocery is always a highlight on my feed, run by the owners of Food Fight! Vegan Grocery. An informative mix of local vegan activism, civil liberty news, and local vegan food.

Which celebrity would you most love to see come in or enjoying your food?
I would be floored to cook for Chelsea Manning. I would also love to boast that Glenn Greenwald of the Intercept, the infamous gay investigative journalist breaking the Edward Snowden story, ate at our restaurant.

Theresa Keane & Willow O’Brien, Pixie Retreat

A Portland native, O’Brien was in the fashion business when she and her partner of 13 years, Virginia-born Keane, who previously worked in the music industry, decided to funnel their passion for organic, plant-based, raw food into Pixie Retreat (1670 SE 3rd Ave. and 432 NW 11th Ave. Tel: 971-302-7128. www.pixieretreat.com), which currently has two locations. “Neither one of us consider ourselves to be chefs,” says Keane, “we are merely ‘makers’ here as ambassadors and in service to our great mother earth Gaia and to help others to live their best life.”

Willow & Theresa, Pixie Retreat

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBT culinary folks?
Portland’s an incubator for food talents. People can come here and dive into their work and get their business up and going at a cheaper cost than other major cities. Having access to such beautiful Pacific Northwest produce has been a huge plus, being in the epicenter of organic farming, and not to mention all of the natural food distributors and the conscientious people we’re surrounded with.

What is a misconception about raw, plant-based food that you hope to dispel through Pixie Retreat?
People feel they will still be hungry, that it won’t taste good, that healthy food is lacking in flavor and satisfaction. We’re here to prove that eating plant-based is fully satisfying, and tastes wonderful! Not to mention your body thanks you and finds its natural state, you look and feel your greatest, and the bonus is you begin to look at all facets of your life and ways to improve self. We’re known for our L ’il Puddin’s, a delicious sweet treat made from freshly opened young Thai coconuts, cashews, and a beautifully healing sea vegetable known as Irish moss. People think it’s made from straight-up dairy and sugar, when in reality it’s loaded with nutritional value and it’s skind of mind-blowing how good it is.

What are a few of your favorite restaurants, food pods, and chefs?Back to Eden (2215 NE Alberta St. Tel: 503-477-5022. www.backtoedenbakery.com) is a gluten-free organic café and bakery on Alberta Street, also owned by a queer couple. Aaron Adams’ Farm Spirit (1414 SE Morrison St. www.farmspiritpdx.com) is a real treat. He makes seasonal food, with a 15course tasting menu, and it’s a very interactive experience as they plate and speak of the food right there in front of you. Aaron could make dirt taste good.

Which celebrity would you most love to see come in and enjoy your food?
Oprah Winfrey, Yolanda Hadid, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi (we know you’re vegan, get ya some!), and Jaden Smith, we’re looking at you. You’re leading the next generation with your indigo ways.

Seth O’Malley, Head Distiller, Townshend’s Distillery

An Oregon native, O’Malley became obsessed with teas as a teenager and started working for Portland’s acclaimed Townshend’s teahouse. When owner Matt Thomas opened a distillery specializing in botanical spirits fashioned from their kombucha distillate, he asked O’Malley to head it up. (4211 SE Milwaukie Ave. Tel: 503-477-6137. www.townshendsdistillery.com)

Seth O’Malley, Townshend’s Distillery

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBT culinary folks?
There’s the stereotype about Portland being extremely progressive, and while I’d argue that’s overblown, this is an extremely comfortable place for me to be who I am. Along the same lines, Portlanders don’t cling to tradition. Folks here are very open to new ideas, especially culinary ones, which allows creative food and drink professionals to pursue their whims and push boundaries in ways that would get them in trouble elsewhere. I mean, we use kombucha to make fernet!

What’s one of your proudest creations at the distillery?
We recently rolled out a Génépy , a spirit typically made near the southern Alps related to Chartreuse. We made it almost entirely from botanicals we foraged around here.

What are a few of the best spots to get a delicious drink?Bit House Saloon (727 SE Grand Ave. www.bithousesaloon.com), BarCasa Vale (215 SE 9th Ave. Tel: 503-477-9081. www.barcasavale.com), and Rum Club (720 SE Sandy Bvld. Tel: 503-265-8807. www.umclubpdx.com). I’m particularly excited about Freeland Spirits (2761 NW Vaughn St. www.freelandspirits.com) right now. They’re a new woman-owned and -operated distillery with a gorgeous gin, and they’ve got some whiskey in the works as well.

Which Portland foodie Instagram and social media accounts do you follow and recommend?
For drinks, you have to follow @longdistancecocktailclub. They’re a group of queer friends who make cocktails on their picturesque hikes around Portland. I always get a kick out of @heatherarndtanderson. She’s a local food historian who gets into some pretty obscure recipes, whose food descriptions I swear I can smell through my cracked iPhone screen. She’s also hilarious, and woke, so there’s that.

James Adair, Pastry Chef, Nel Centro

Raised in a Utah Mormon household, Adair landed his first cooking job at Portland’s gay bar Embers. He worked under late gay celebrity pastry chef Sean Sasser (whom he considers a mentor) at The Nines hotel and, later, with Departure’s Gregory Gourdet. He’s been with the French and Italian Riviera–inspired restaurant Nel Centro since 2016. (1408 SW Sixth Ave. Tel: 503-484-1099. www.nelcentro.com)

James Adair, Nel Centro

Why is Portland such a great city for LGBT chefs, bakers, mixologists, and culinary folks?
Portland’s extremely liberal, and very gay-friendly. I have no problems at work being out to all of my coworkers, and have never felt the slightest bit of fear of repercussions from someone knowing that I’m gay, unlike back in Utah.

What are a few of your favorite spots to eat?
I love Lardo (1205 SW Washington St. Tel: 503-241-2490. www.lardosandwiches.com), they have tasty, fattening sandwiches that are simple but always phenomenal. Kachka (720 SE Grand Ave. Tel: 503-235-0059. www.kachkapdx.com), which wins award after award for their amazing Russian fare. Little Bird (215 SW 6th Ave. Tel: 503-688-5952. www.littlebirdbistro.com) is also great—the location’s incredibly cute and the food inventive.

Regarding ‘Keep Portland Weird,’ what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen?
Coyotes. Many times a year, I’ve seen one darting through traffic, and there was the one riding the MAX Light Rail a couple years ago. The raccoons are frequent and understandable, but Portland has more coyotes than newcomers would think.

What about some of your favorite Portland-made food products/spirits?
Jacobsen Salt is great. It’s made on the Oregon Coast and is sold widely here. One that’s little known is a brewery called Baerlic. They produce new beers all the time, like new recipes, and many of them only once. Should you fall in love with one they will can the beer there for you, as you’re waiting, so you can stick in in your luggage and enjoy it anywhere in the world. And Aria Dry Gin is produced by Bull Run here in Portland. It’s an amazing gin, dry and incredibly complex. You can tour the distillery and make sure it’s to your liking before buying a bottle.

Finally, what are a few dos and dont’s for aspiring LGBT chefs?
Working in kitchens can be a bit of a boys’ club, and I’ve seen a lot of LGBT coworkers not know how to react and have had troubles in their career because they chose to be standoffish. Join in the camaraderie, to build trust and friendship with those you work with. Expect to work hard and go home exhausted every day. Taste everything you make. Don’t create unnecessary drama. Don’t let your knives get dull. A cut from a dull knife takes a lot longer to heal than from a razor-sharp one. And, for working in pastry at least, keep your basic math skills up. You need to know how to scale a recipe up or down depending on needs and ingredients you have on hand. So many cooks don’t have that ability.

With its shimmering skyline, visionary theaters, and wall-to-wall art, Chicago has become the Midwest’s gift to the 21st century.

With its shimmering skyline, visionary theaters, and wall-to-wall art, Chicago has become the Midwest’s gift to the 21st century. Architects, designers, and artists have made their mark on the city’s restaurants, galleries, and even its commercial districts.

Formerly the Sears Tower, the view from the Willis Tower Skydeck (www.theskydeck.com) will now dazzle and challenge you; the panorama attracts 25,000 visitors a day. Here are glass-floored, glasswalled boxes that jut out safely from the building’s steel walls. Called observation boxes, they dare you to step out 103 stories above solid ground and take a photo, get a better look, or perhaps propose marriage. Afraid of heights? Gaze from inside. Afraid of elevators? The Skydeck is 2,102 steps up.

For a teetotalers’ dining experience, a pizza-and-salad dinner for two in a private alcove is available (no liquor license here yet) at $100 per person, with the outside spectacle included. A $23 breakfast is also available.

The Chicago River and downtown skyline

From an opposite perspective, the First Lady Chicago River Cruise (www.chicagorivercruise.com) asks you to look up. Ninety minutes on the riverboat features a lecturer with a mic who knows absolutely everything. He explains the differences between modern, art deco, and beaux arts architecture, giving a historical perspective and the backstory of Chicago’s most iconic buildings. Glass-and-steel surface façades left and right reflect the sun, reach for the clouds, and are reminiscent of sci-fi movies.

The world’s most famous architects have had a hand in creating the esthetics of this horizon, including Mies van der Rohe’s austere AMA Plaza (www.amaplaza.com), Jeanne Gang’s award-winning, futuristic Aqua (www.rentaqua.com), and Schipporeit and Heinrich’s curvy Lake Point Tower (www.lakepointtower.org). That clever design was created by fledgling architects in 1968, to provide both views and privacy from the structures’ facing windows.

Hard to miss is the Burnham Brothers’ Carbide and Carbon Building (www.hardrockhotelchicago.com), nicknamed the Champagne Building. It was built in 1929 of dark terracotta to resemble a Champagne bottle with its own gold-foil-like top. It does shine!

Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium park

Nowadays, the busts of famous merchants line the riverfront esplanade of the Merchandise Mart, now just ”The Mart,” Chicago’s famous mainstay. Once a distribution center for Marshall Field, its 25 stories and expanse of two city blocks reveal its current claim to-fame as the world’s premier design center. Head to the sixth and 14th floors to get high on cutting-edge furniture, tile, bathroom fixtures, and lighting, fit for the homes of potentates, and maybe yours. The marblefloored first floor is the place to pull up a chair and stop for a coffe or hibiscus apple cider at Argo Tea (www.themart.com).

Heading north from the Mart, get more of a designer-furniture fix in the River North Designer District. Along a generous stretch of North Franklin Street, you have great choices, including Poliform, that features international posh designers; Luminaire, with 21,000 square feet of glitzy lighting and furniture; Minotti, the ”Made in Italy” brand with cutting-edge showrooms in every part of the world. Try not to miss Orange Skin (www.orangeskin.com). Founded by two local architects, the Chicago-only showroom features some unusual pieces like the chair that throws light, and sculptural items that use LED in original ways.

World’s largest Tiffany glass dome ceiling in the Cultural Center

The Hubbard Design Group (www.hubbarddesigngroup.com), headed by African-American designer Christopher Hubbard, has its showroom here and is also Chicago only. Its Midwestern sensibility is preserved in its dedication to the finest of bespoke interiors, with specifications made to fit clients’ needs. The Aranha console table is most impressive.

Nearby, under the rumble of trains on the tracks above, are many fine art galleries. The Gruen Gallery (www.gruengalleries.com) is a good place to start, with four floors and 25,000 square feet mean there is diversity galore. Defining the art collection here is easy: Soup to nuts global contemporary and the price range is $5,000 to $20,000. The gallery is also an events space, so why not host your own wedding here? Talk to Lisa.

Victor Armendariz at His New Eponymous Gallery

The Echt Gallery (www.echtgallery.com) focus is sculpture and the pieces here are all drama. Made of glass, beads, steel, clay, and what-have-you, expect the unexpected in this compact space.

The Catherine Edelman Gallery (www.edelmangallery.com) displays themed photography exhibits, and shares a space with the Andrew Bae Gallery (www.andrewbaegallery.com), which is devoted to the works of contemporary Asian artists, with an emphasis on Korean and Japanese works.

Also in this multilevel location, find the newest gallery, VictorArmendariz (www.galleryvictor.com) launched in 2017. The gallery exhibits “compelling contemporary art in a variety of media by both established and emerging artists.”

California-native Armendariz says, “My husband and I were the first gay couple to be legally married in America!” They tied the knot in Provincetown in 2004. He’s also proud to reveal that his gallery began with 25 artists and he now represents 40.

With 20 years of gallery experience, Armendariz is actually its sole owner, his lawyer husband works behind the scenes on contractual and other legal matters. They are both currently also involved in Lambda Legal (www.lambdalegal.org).

The wider world of painting and sculpture is represented at the Art Institute of Chicago (www.artic.edu), ranked one of the finest museums in the world, both for its architecture and “encyclopedic” range of art works. Aside from the celebrated works of French Impressionists, its imports are on exhibit from every region, many eras, and in all media. From a statue created in the 16th century B.C.E. to Yoko Ono’s 2016 “Mended Petal” sculpture, you’ll find it here, along with the museum’s second floor masterpiece: Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.”

The Modern Wing was designed by Renzo Piano (his gift to Chicago), and the third-floor museum restaurant is named for him. Terzo Piano (www.terzopianochicago.com) is bright white, with a futuristic vibe and an Italian-Asian sensibility.

Sushi chair at Merchandise Mart showroom of Fernando Campaigns

A stone’s throw away is Millennium Park, reached through the Nichols Bridgeway designed by Piano to access the park from the museum. The park’s most popular attraction is sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate,” a gleaming transcendental work of art, whose elliptical dome mirrors the sky and the world around it. Walk through it and find your image as part of the attraction as well. Now find your way to Frank Gehry’s outdoor concert venue and hope for some free music, or walk through the Boeing Galleries, home of modern and contemporary art, or just chill in the tree-lined Wrigley Square section of the park.

Next to the Millennium Park Welcome Center sits the non-profit Harris Theater (www.harristheaterchicago.org), dedicated to the performance of music and dance, it is one of 200 live performance spaces in the city.

Glass bead sculpture at Echt Gallery

The newest theater, opened in fall of 2017 at the Navy Pier, is the exciting Yard (www.chicagoshakes.com), named for William Shakespeare’s Yard in London, the pit where rich and poor alike had access to great performances. This premier namesake faces Lake Michigan and the skyline beyond, and includes innovative high-tech architecture that helps build a “dynamic interaction” between the audience and the performers. An electronic wall of glass welcomes theatergoers, monitors sun and shade, bathing the outer corridors in varying degrees of light. Inside is a 180-seat black box theater and the stunning new Yard auditorium. This venue has a unique system that allows huge sections of seating to be added or removed, and 510 audience members (or less) to be seated in various configurations. Grandeur does not begin to describe this tiered space that performs not only plays by the Bard but also current imports, original plays, musicals, you name it.

Gay Executive Director Criss Henderson has been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. He calls it a team effort (it was built in three weeks in Montréal) “a collaborative innovation” and “a different experience, one of a kind.” Ticket prices range from $12 to $87.

In keeping with the “optics” of surrounding yourself with beauty at dinner, the Japanese restaurant Izakaya at Momotaro (www.bokagrp.com/izakaya.php) is suffused with a contemporary warm glow. Shared plates are popular here and the quieter downstairs includes a wall-embedded TV showing subtitled anime movies, in silence.

Spanking new is Marisol (www.marisolchicago.com), with its fresh, modern face, in the Museum of Contemporary Art. Sarah Rinkavage is one of the city’s brilliant new chefs who plans to change the menu frequently, depending on what’s available. Meat, yes, but also “vegetarian friendly,” it hopes to be a popular neighborhood restaurant.

City Skyline from Art Institute of Chicago

With its three-sided bar and hyper-lively atmosphere, Promontory Café (www.promontorychicago.com), a casual place with a south-ofthe-border flavor, is a spot to enjoy a bloody mary or the crowd-pleasing chilaquiles at lunch or weekend brunch. Outside seating allows Fido, or leave him home and stay for a music show after dinner.

Recently opened and chockablock with murals and surprises is EMC2 Hotel (www.hotelemc2.com). Its glamour fits the Chicago design motif and is also a techie’s pure delight. A valet’s tutorial helps you understand your room’s esoteric light system, its many outlets for electronic devices, and even the gold plated shower handle. Room service is the surprise when Chloe arrives with fresh towels or shampoo. She’s made a few mistakes, bringing tampons to a guy’s room, but what can one expect from a beautiful robot?

The City Beautiful has made its point: Art is where you find it, but in Chicago, no matter where you go, it finds you.

]]>Traveling Gourmet • Sonoma County Culinary Treatshttps://passportmagazine.com/sonoma-county-culinary-treats/
Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:01:36 +0000https://passportmagazine.com/?p=8724While I love seeing new places and trying foods around the world, more than anything I love coming home to the most beautiful place on earth: Sonoma County, California. It’s…

]]>While I love seeing new places and trying foods around the world, more than anything I love coming home to the most beautiful place on earth: Sonoma County, California. It’s not just the gorgeous stretch of Pacific Coast, the redwoods, the mysterious and magical Russian River, or the awesome country landscapes. This beauty also includes the incredible bounty of the area, the abundance of fresh, amazing food. With the local produce so plentiful, how can people not craft brilliant edibles? When I travel, I always load up my suitcase with beautiful Sonoma County food to show my friends just how much wonderful stuff there is here. Do I need a wedding present for John and Farris? A hostess gift for Elizabeth? A little something for Lucy to convince her to pay another visit? Sonoma County has it. While wine is the expected gift, I like to be surprising (haven’t you noticed?), so my gifts tend more toward the unusual and delicious.

I’m confident that the tastes of Sonoma County I bring them will do much to lure them here. These little culinary gifts are the best way to say to my friends, “you’re welcome here, come take a taste for yourself.” They’re not hard to find: my favorite grocery store, Oliver’s Market (several locations, www.oliversmarket.com) has labels identifying the locally produced goods, and I’m a well-known denizen of the farmers’ markets. When you come out here, you’ll discover for yourself these delectable mementos from the world’s loveliest corner, Sonoma County, California.

CUPCAKES FROM MOUSTACHE BAKERY

My sweet-toothed friends love these delights from Healdsburg’s Moustache (381 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, CA. Tel: 707-395-4111. www.moustachebakedgoods.com), run by a young gay couple and producing some of the best desserts in creation. They’re great about using local ingredients to enrich their products (there’s even a map on the wall showing where the ingredients came from). Try The Pioneer Jane (strawberry/vanilla/rhubarb) or The Southern Miss (brown butter/peaches), both made with fruit from the nearby Dry Creek area. The Beekeeper combines local Meyer lemons with honey and lavender, while The Outlaw, made with chocolate, caramel, and sea salt, is so good it should be illegal! As you can see, these are no ordinary cupcakes, and the unique flavor combinations will have your taste buds reeling with pleasure. So, too, with their macarons, which come in such intriguing varieties as chile/mango, Thai tea, and raspberry/lime. Moustache has been such a success that its owners, Christian and Ozzy, have opened a nearby pie and ice cream place called Noble Folk (116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, CA. Tel: 707-395-4426. www.thenoblefolk.com), whose products are every bit as inventive and delicious. They’re just a little harder to carry on a plane!

PASTA FROM BEET GENERATION FARM

Beet Generation

Brilliantly named, lesbian-owned Beet Generation Farm (www.beetgenerationfarm.com) has devised a great use for its fresh produce: put it into pasta. Libby and Ali purée a variety of vegetables to make a range of pastas that are both colorful and deliciously fresh. My favorite is the hot chili, deep orange in color and super-spicy, but I also like the mellow-red beet, saucy tomato, brightgreen basil, and cool cucumber. While you can buy them pre-packaged (with names like “Mano y Mano Serrano Poblano” and “Too Sexy Tomato”) at hip fooderies like Healdsburg’s Shed or Santa Rosa’s Pharmacy, I like to visit Libby at the Saturday Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market (Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa, CA. Tel: 707-522-8629. www.thesantarosamarket.com), where I put on a plastic glove and dig into the mix-and-match rainbow of vibrant pasta myself. Best of all: while it’s dried, the high vegetable content means it takes only about five minutes to cook, so you don’t have to wait long to brighten your plates and your taste buds.

BREADS FROM WILD FLOUR BREAD

Wild Flour Bread

There’s no better gift than the wonderful breads and sweet rolls at Wild Flour Bread (140 Bohemian Highway, Freestone, CA. Tel: 707-874-2938. www.wildflourbread.com), a friendly little spot in tiny Freestone, where everything’s organic and baking is done in a wood-fired oven. Their sticky buns (easily big enough for four) will send you straight to heaven with a sweet, yeasty, cinnamon-y rapture. Even better: the variation called an Egyptian, rich with pears, figs, and ginger. Scones come in a mind-boggling array of flavors from blueberry/Meyer lemon or fig/rosemary/goat cheese to apple/oat and pear/cardamom. Breads include some wonderful sourdoughs and seeded loaves, with unusual choices like Z-Bread, made with Meyer lemons and olives. They’re open only Friday through Monday, and they’re cash only, but I’ve seen them say to tourists caught with no cash on them, “here’s an envelope with our address, just mail us a check when you get home.” Aside from the fact that they make the best bread in the history of bread, isn’t that the kind of place you’d want to patronize?

OLIVE OIL FROM EYRIE

Eyrie Olive Oil

I first discovered the wonderful olive oils of Eyrie Olive Oil (www.eyrieoliveoil.com) at the Santa Rosa Farmer’s Market, and consider me addicted. Not everyone knows what a major crop olives are in California, but the state’s olive oil industry has become hugely important. Eyrie has their own Sonoma County groves set 900 feet above the valley floor for prime sunshine, and their oil is cold-extracted at a mill in Sebastopol. The result is as fresh and flavorful as you’d expect a product to be that never travels more than a few miles from its place of origin (well, at least not till I bring it across the country). Their eight different varieties of Tuscan olives lend a heartiness to the oil, which remains unfiltered and unrefined for prime taste. While I buy it at the farmers’ market, Lazzini’s Market in Santa Rosa is another source. Suzanne and Lewis Jester just took over the groves in 2015, and they’ve already produced a Gold Medal winner from the California Olive Oil Council. As they like to say, it’s like “California sunshine in a bottle”—and what could make a better gift for my poor East Coast–bound friends?

DRY JACK CHEESE FROM VELLA

Vella Dry Monterey Jack

Sonoma County produces so many amazing cheeses (Cowgirl Creamery, Petaluma Creamery, Spring Hill, Achadinha) that perhaps it’s my fond memories and longterm love affair that makes me choose Dry Jack from Vella Cheese (315 Second St. E., Sonoma, CA. Tel: 707-938-4307. www.vellacheese.com). They’ve been around since 1931, so it’s not surprising I first encountered their cheeses a couple of decades ago, when the irascible and characterful Ignazio (“Ig”) Vella was still alive. Every time I buy this cheese, I remember our amazing conversations. Available in stores as well as at their own spot, the Dry Jack, an aged Monterey Jack, is great for transporting. Its hard texture (similar to Parmigiano) makes it durable and great for grating, with a nutty and full taste that puts many a younger cheese to shame. My favorite is the Special Select, firm and flavorful from being aged up to two years and unsurprisingly the recipient of medals from the California State Fair and American Cheese Society, among others.

HONEY FROM BEEKIND

Alluring Beekind (921 Gravenstein Highway S., Sebastopol, CA. Tel: 707-8242905. www.beekind.com) serves the Sebastopol area’s needs for beekeeping as well as producing some luscious honey. My favorites are, of course, those made from local hives. The Redwood Forest Honeydew, which comes from the heart of the Russian River area, has an almost smoky, dark richness. It’s full-bodied, dessert-y and a three-time Gold Medal winner at the Sonoma County Fair. The Sebastopol Blackberry is much lighter and fruitier, while Sonoma County Wildflower, made from the pollen of a variety of local flora, carries a many-layered aromatic quality. Another favorite is the local wildflower honey infused with Chai spices for a truly original taste. While I love their skincare products and beeswax candles, for my gifts to friends, I’m sticking with the raw, unfiltered, unadulterated goodness in a jar.

VERJUS FROM KOKOMO

Kokomo Winery (4791 Dry Creek Rd., Healdsburg, CA. Tel: 707-433-0200. www.kokomowines.com) produces this startlingly good product called Verjus, that I first discovered in Oliver’s Market. It’s made from crushed, unripe wine grapes (basically, the throwaways from the winemaking process) and is acquiring a certain chic among culinary know-it-alls. It’s like a less acidic, fruitier vinegar, or “not quite vinegar.” Kokomo harvests its grapes for verjus in mid-summer to ensure maximum acidity and minimum sugar (this also thins the vines for the enhancement of the remaining wine grapes). It’s a hard taste to describe, somehow both tart and slightly sweet all at once, but once you use it in salads, sauces, or even cocktails, you might never go back to vinegar or lemon juice again.

CHOCOLATE FROM FIREFLY

I found Firefly (www.fireflychocolate.com) at the Sebastopol Farmers Market (Sebastopol Plaza, Sebastopol, CA. Tel: 707-522-9305. www.sebastopolfarmmarket.com), and I’m always thrilled to run into it in Oliver’s or other stores around the county, as this bean-to-bar chocolate is one of my favorite Sonoma County products. While obviously the cacao beans are not local, everything else about this handcrafted chocolate is, which is what “bean to bar” is all about. Whether it’s chocolate bars (my usual gift) or his ceremonial drinking chocolate (rich with cacao butter so you need only add water), proprietor Jonas Ketterle takes the beans through all the steps (roasting, grinding, conching, and forming the finished product) in his Sonoma County studio. You can taste the difference by the love put into this organic dark chocolate, which is sweetened with coconut sugar and comes in such lively flavors as Wild Berry, Mighty Maca, and Coconut Cream. For friends who are chocolate purists like me, I buy the Pure Dark, that is a succulent semi-sweet wonder.

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]]>Summer Style: Channel Cross Shortshttps://passportmagazine.com/summer-style-channel-cross-shorts/
Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:05:46 +0000https://passportmagazine.com/?p=8752Channel Cross Shorts from Lululemon are a vacationer’s dream. Not only are they made of high-performance, quick-drying, and comfortable, stretchy fabric, they are outfitted with features to meet the needs…

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